A far-right activist who has publicly pushed the conspiracy theory that 9/11 was an “inside job” attended 9/11 memorial events with former president Donald Trump on the anniversary of the attacks.
Laura Loomer posted videos of the current Republican nominee attending events in New York and Pennsylvania on Wednesday, meeting with firefighters and family members of 9/11 victims. She was also spotted departing from Trump’s plane when he landed in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s debate against Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump and Republican vice-presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) attend the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum on Sept. 11, 2024 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
It’s not uncommon for Trump to associate with far-right influencers, but Loomer has generated significant scrutiny for a rant she posted to her X (formerly Twitter) account last year.
Loomer shared a video that stated “9/11 was an inside job” and wrote in her lengthy post that it had something to do with then-secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, who spoke to press the day before 9/11 about US$2.3 trillion in “lost” government funds.
The post misrepresented Rumsfeld’s remarks, which were about a challenge in tracking transactions due to outdated technology. The funds were never missing and the day before 9/11 was not the first time the problem had been discussed, according to an Associated Press fact check.
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“The technology revolution has transformed organizations across the private sector,” Rumsfeld said on Sept. 10, 2001. “But not ours, not fully, not yet. We are, as they say, tangled in our anchor chain. Our financial systems are decades old. According to some estimates, we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions.”
Loomer has since taken to X to defend her past comments amid scrutiny about her joining Trump at Wednesday’s 9/11 events.
“I stand by everything I have said. I will not be deleting any tweets. I will not apologize for fighting for Donald Trump,” she wrote Thursday afternoon.
In an earlier post, Loomer said that she does not work for Trump and won’t be speaking to “reporters who are calling me and obsessively asking me to talk to them.”
“I am simply a loyal advocate,” she wrote. “Human beings are allowed to have friends.”
Loomer joined Trump on Wednesday at a New York City fire station, writing, “They were thrilled to see him.”
She also accompanied the former president in Shanksville, Penn., where one of the hijacked planes crashed 23 years ago after crew members and passengers fought back against the hijackers.
The conspiracy theory that U.S. officials are hiding information about the Sept. 11 attacks or were somehow involved in the planning has taken hold among a segment of determined “truthers,” but many of their most prevalent claims have fallen apart upon further scrutiny.
The Trump campaign responded with a statement from an unnamed campaign official.
“Today, President Trump put politics aside and stood beside Kamala Harris and Joe Biden to honor those who lost their lives during the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history. The day wasn’t about anyone other than the souls who are no longer with us, their families, and the heroes who courageously stepped up to save their fellow Americans on that fateful day,” it read.
— With files from The Associated Press
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